Gold-separator.



No. 685,005. Patented Oct. 22, IBM.

A. P. PALMER.

sou) sEPABATon.

(Application filed Jan. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.)

In: Noam PETE?! ca. WOTMJTHQ. ww-lmc'rou. D. c,

- UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ADOLPH P. PALMER, or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM on PALMERGOLD SEPARATING 00., on OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA;

GOLD-SEPARATOR.

srnorrrcnrron forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,005, dated Octobera, 190i. Application filed January 26, 1901 Serial No. 44;?92. (Nomodel.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ADOLPH P. PALMER, a citizen of the United States,residing in Oakland, county of-Alameda, State of California, haveinvented an Improvementin Gold-Separators; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Myinvention relates to an apparatus which is especially designed forseparating gold and heavy valuable material from sand or lightermaterial with which it may be mixed or associated.

It consists of a revoluble vertically-disposed cylinder adapted tocontain mercury or amalgamated or silvered plates and having aninwardly-projecting flange around the top to prevent the overflow orescape of the mercury, while allowing the lighter material to constantlyflow over this edge and be discharged. The cylinder has the bottom soconstructed that material delivered therein will be carried outwardlyand upwardly by centrifugal force and byovertlow caused by constantadditions from the feed apparatus, which delivers the material into thebottom of the cylinder. A central discharge-cone projects upwardly intothe cylinder, and a water-pipe has its lower end so contrived as todeliver water into the mass remaining in the bottom of the cylinder whenthe latter is at rest, so that it can be washed out through the centraldischarge.

The invention also comprises details of construction which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which theaccompanying figure is a vertical section of my gold-separator. A is anexterior framework or support, of any suitable material andconstruction,adapted to carry the necessary machinery.

2 is an open-topped cylinder, which may be made of iron, steel, or othermaterial, the bottom being preferably made concave, as at 3, in itsinner surface, and between the upper edge of this concaved or globularportion and the vertical sides 2 I form an annular trough 4 ofsufficient capacity to contain mercury when the latter is to beemployed. In lieu of the mercury I may also employ a lining 5, which maybe of silvered'or amalgamated metal and also adapted to retain anyparticles of gold brought in contact there-' with, as will behereinafter described. When this amalgamated surface is employed, it islocked in place by a screw, flange, or collar 3, fit2ting upon the upperend of the cylin- 7 is an annular flange projectinginwardly from theinner edge and top of the cylinder 2, and this serves to arrestmercury,which is carried up and spread over the inner sides of thecylinder by the rapid centrifugal movement of the latter. Under suchconditions the mercury will form a sheet or surface over the inner faceof the centrifugal portion and will act in a similar manner with theamalgamated or silvered plate 5, and this flange 7 prevents its beingthrown outward over the top of the cylinder and lost. At the same timethe space within the flange 7 is sufficient to allow a continuous flowof sand or pulp and water, with which it is mixed, and this rising abovethe upper edge of the cylinder flows outward over the discharge-plate 8and may be delivered to any suitable chute or receptacle or simplyallowed to run to waste. Whenever the revolution of the cylinder isarrested, if mercury is employed the latter will gradually settle intothe annular channel 4, where it will remain while the ap paratus is atrest, and it is thus prevented from settling down into the concavedbottom 3 and mixing with whatever sand or material remains at thatpoint.

In order to revolve this apparatus with sufficient rapidity, thecylinder is mounted upon a vertically-journaled shaft 9, which may becarried in boxes or bearings, as at 10, and, if desired, ball or othersuitable antifrictional bearings can be employed to provide for a freeand easy revolution. The shaft 9 is revolved by belt or chain pulleygearing or other motor, by which any desired rate of speed can be givento the cylinder revolving on this vertical axis. As here shown, theshaft 9 is made hollow and opens directly into the bottom of theconcaved portion 3 of the cylinder, having an upward conical oracornshaped extension with inturned lip, as shown at 11. Above this part11 is fixed a cone 12, the apex of which is closed, as shown, and

the lower edges surround the base of the part 11, leaving a spacebetween these edges and the bottom 3 of the cylinder, so that under theproper conditions a discharge may be made between the parts 11 and 12.Above the cone 12 is a water-pipe 13, and this pipe is approximatelyaxial with the cone and other parts, its lower end being flared ordiverged, as shown at 14, so as to approximately follow the outline ofthe cone 12 and leaving a space between the two.

15 is a stationary cylindrical chamber, which may be hopper-shaped orenlarged at the top, if desired, and into this the feedpipe 16discharges the material to be treated. The material passing down throughthe cylinder 15 and its reduced lower end is delivered near the bottomof the concaved portion 3 of the cylinder, and the latter being set inmotion the rapid revolution produces a centrifugal action thatcontinually carries up the sand, pulp, or other auriferous material,which, passing over the edge of the trough at, will be thrown againstthe mercury or the amalgamated surface 5, which lines the upper part ofthe cylinder, duringits revolution. The sand thus passing over this partis gracinally moved upward and rolled over and over, so that any goldcontained therein will be brought into contact with the mercurial orother surface either by gravitation or by constant movement of theparticles and will there be arrested, while the sand and waste productswill flow over the flange 7 and be delivered outwardly over the annularapron 8, as previously described.

When it is desired to stop for the purpose of cleaning up, the motion ofthe cylinder having been arrested, any sand or pulp remaining in thebottom of the concavity 3 may be discharged through the center of thetube 9 by means of a jet of water passing down through the pipe 13 andits divergent base l t, and this will cause the sand to be carried upbetween the cones 11 and 12, where, overflowing into the centraldischarge of the cone 11, it passes down through the tube 9 and isdischarged.

The mercury, if it be used, will, as previously stated, only descendinto the annular channel 4, where it will remain until the machine isagain started up, or if the amalgamated surface 5-be used this can betaken bodily out of the cylinder for the purpose of cleaning andremoving the goldby unscrewing the locking-rim G at the top.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is'

1. An apparatus for separating gold from associated gangue, comprising averticallysupported open-topped vessel having an interior surfacecapable of collecting particles of gold, a hollow revoluble shaft fixedto said vessel and having a conical portion at its upper end, awater-pipe above and approximately axial with said conical portion andhaving its lower end flared or shaped substantially to the contour ofthe cone,and separated from the latter, and means for deliveringmaterial into the lower part of the vessel, said cone and shaft servingas a discharge when cleaning up the vessel.

2. An apparatus for separating gold from associated gangue, including avertically-disposed cylinder, having a concave bottom and an overflowflange or rim at the top, and an annular mercury-containing trougharound the inner sides of the vessel at a'point between said bottom andflange or rim, and forming a collecting chamber for mercury flowing downthe sides of the cylinder, a revoluble shaft fixed to the cylinder andentering the bottom thereof, and having a conical extension of its upperend said extension and shaft forming a discharge for cleaning up thecylinder, means for delivering material into the lower part of thevessel, and a water-pipe above and in the axial line of the cone andhaving its lower end flared or shaped substantially to the contour ofthe cone, and separated from said cone, and a cone intermediate of thefirst and second named cones.

3. An apparatus for separating gold from associated gangue, including arevoluble cylinder, a feed-chamber entering the cylinder to a point nearthe bottom thereof, a revoluble shaft and a cone surmounting its upperend and located within the bottom of the cyl inder, said shaft and conehaving a passage through them, and a water-supply having its lower endinclosing the said cone and separated therefrom to form a passagethrough which material is directed into the cone and shaft in cleaningup the cylinder.

4. An apparatus for separating gold from associated material consistingof a verticallyjournaled axle, a revoluble cylinder having a concavedbottom and extended sides, adapted to collect the particles of gold, andan overflow flange or rim at the top, a stationary cylindricalfeed-chute extending downwardly to near the bottom of the interior ofthe cylinder, a hollow discharge pipe extending through the bottom ofthe cylinder, a stationary surrounding cone and a water-pipe, the lowerpart of which incloses said cone whereby a body of water may bedelivered to wash out material remaining in the bottom of the cylinderwhen the latter is at rest.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my

